


Shingeki no Kyojin

by AuthenticPineapple



Series: Shingeki no Kyojin [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-15 07:44:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1296973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthenticPineapple/pseuds/AuthenticPineapple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Name] [Last Name] grew up alongside Eren, Mikasa, and Armin in Shiganshina district. She was taken care of by her older brothers Lee and Dan after her mother passed away from sickness one winter. Her story is a familiar tale for most of the children in poorer districts without parents. But everything changes the day the Colossal Titan appeared.</p><p>Warnings for spoilers, gory material, and some sexual content apply.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> This story can also be found published on deviantART. WWW.authenticpineapple.deviantart.com

**The Year of 845**

 

The sprawling field is home to a wide blanket of blue wildflowers. They choke out the grass in their haste to grow, bobbing their perfumed heads as if straining to reach the sun. A single, lonely tree stands a midst the colony of blue.

There is no sound. There is only the noise of Nature's fingers brushing through the leaves.

You sit in the middle of this peaceful scene, reaching a small hand out to grasp the flowers and yank them from the cool soil. You wide [e/c] eyes staring in childish wonder at the soft and fragile petals. You tuck the messy bouquet into the pocket of your woolen sweater. Your mother had hand knitted the itchy garment last winter, putting all her effort into crafting the dark-[color] monstrosity. It had ended up being too large for your slight frame, but you refused to take it off. It swallows your [color] dress and reaches the top of mud speckled boots. 

Your mother had died that same winter of a particularly nasty fever that developed into something worse. Lee, your eldest brother had been taking care of you and your other brother Dan since then. Your two older brothers took any odd jobs they could around Shiganshina. But it seemed no matter how hard they labored it was always the same watered down soup in the cramped apartment Lee rented. 

Beside you Mikasa sits under the shade. She has trained her dark eyes on Eren, who lays sprawled beneath the canopy in a deep slumber. She was always watching over her adoptive brother with a fierce vigilance that was almost scary. Her thick locks of midnight black sway around her pale face as she adjusts the red scarf she always wore. Eren's face looks very tranquil as he naps. His messy dark brown looks almost touched his eyebrows and his slightly tan complexion was marbled with patches of sunlight. 

The three of you were supposed to be gathering firewood; you had found yourselves basking in the warmth of such a pleasant day instead. All thanks to Eren. He was such a slacker when it came to work and he often pulled you and even Mikasa into being lazy as well. 

Eren then awakes with a violent jolt. 

His bright eyes stare into the web of branches above him with something like horror. "Huh? Mikasa...[Name]?" He lifts himself onto his elbows and looks around as if he had forgotten how he had wound up here. You frown at his behavior. Only a few seconds ago he seemed completely fine and utterly relaxed. 

"We need to head back." Mikasa ignores his strange look and faces the Wall. The Wall was a gargantuan structure that rose fifty-meters into the sky. It was a thick barrier to keep the monsters called titans outside. They were supposed to be ugly creatures that preyed on human beings but you had never seen one before. No one had seen a titan for a hundred years except for the Scouting Legion; they went out on missions beyond the Walls and few of them ever came back. It felt to you as if the Walls were really a cage to keep you inside. Yet without it mankind would be rendered extinct. The heavy losses the Scouting Legion suffered on each outing was testament to that.

"What are we doing here?" Eren asks as he scratches at his neck and wipes the sleep from his turquoise-green eyes. He seemed rather tired for someone who had just woken up. "It feels like I had a really long dream...but I can't remember what it was." He mutters profoundly.

"Eren. Why are you crying?" Mikasa wonders aloud. Her stoic face shows little concern but on the inside she must be greatly worried. She was always greatly worried about Eren. He touches his face hesitantly  and pulls away shocked when a salty drop makes his fingers wet. 

"Are you okay?" You shift towards him, more openly concerned for his well being than Mikasa. It was often you found yourself playing nurse to his cuts and scrapes after getting into it with the local bullies. Stubbornly he wipes the moisture off with his sleeve. 

"Y-you two better not say anything about this!" He warns. You give him a smile and move closer and begin to run your fingers through his shaggy hair. You ignore the protests coming from him as you pull out random blades of grass and knots. 

"Don't you ever comb your hair?" You ask teasingly. He scoffs, blushing from the attention, and crosses his arms with a dissatisfied grunt.

"I swear, you're such a mom sometimes." He complains.

Afterwards you all hoisted the heavy bundles of firewood onto your shoulders and made the trek back to Shiganshina. Eren and Mikasa lived relatively close to the tavern your brother rented out of. You played with them in the streets whenever you had free time. The Yeagers would even let you come over for meals every once in a while.

"Why so blue? Did Mikasa and [Name] get on your case again?" Hannes stood with his hands on his hips, blocking your path back into Shiganshina District. A lopsided grin sat under the stubble he called a mustache, his eyes were bloodshot, and a pink blush was spread across his cheekbones as evidence of his drunkenness. His short blond hair sticks out in in unkempt tufts. He runs a hand through it as he sniffs loudly and awaits Eren's reply.

"You reek of alcohol!" Eren exclaims, stealing the words right out of your mouth. Hannes only smiles ever more brightly at the accusation. It was sadly normal for many soldiers to drink while on the job. After all, it had been one-hundred years since the last time the Garrison Regiment would have seen a Titan. "What if something were to happen? Can you fight like that?" Eren challenges him. His fists clench tightly to the leather straps of his bundle and a familiar passionate blaze has lit up his eyes.

Another Garrison soldier ambles over, red-faced and teetering, he clutches a half-empty bottle in one hand. "If they bust down the Walls we'll take care of business. But...nothing has happened for a century, so don't get your hopes up." He hiccups. Eren stares at the two in disgust.

"You should call yourselves Wall Construction instead." The youngster then stalks away with a haughty 'hmph'. Not being able to resist you stick your tongue out at Hannes and then follow after Eren at a trot.

Mikasa purses her lips as she gazes at Eren contemplatively. "I'd forget about the Scouting Legion if I were you." She suddenly speaks up. The three of you dart past vendors, carts, and arguing towns people. Eren whirls on her with a gleam in his oceanic orbs. 

"You think they're a joke too?" She looks back at him as he says this and narrows her stony glare.

"It's not about what I think--" The rest of her speech was cut off by the sound of clanging bells. You perk up at the cumbersome song. 

"The Scouting Legion is back!" You burst. It had always been one of your favorite things to see the Scouting Legion passing by as they went from outside to inside the Wall. You admired them for their courage. Even if more often than not they returned in defeat you kept watching...waiting for the day they would ride through the street and tell everyone of their victory. You had always imagined that the reason you had no father was because he was a hero of the Scouting Legion. He had been too busy defeating the titans to come home to you and your brothers and when the titans finally were gone he would come home and tell you all about his exploits in battle. It was a silly fancy but you still held on to it. Hope was one of the few things in this world that didn't come at a high price.

"Let's go see!" Eren grabs your hand and pulls you along behind him. Mikasa sighs and follows after at a slower pace. 

The sight that greets you when you reach the gate was horrifying, far from the pleasant march you had wanted. The commander of the legion leads back his discouraged soldiers with a tired sag of his shoulders, his head tilted down, and his lips set in a depressing line. The forest green cloaks are splattered with rusty drops of dried blood. Their eyes are dull and teary. The knuckles of their hands are scratched and bruised from fighting. Some of them nurse wounds and others hold the discarded emblems of lost friends and lovers. Everyone's countenance spoke of immeasurable pain. In the wooden carts soldiers were curled up with missing limbs and covered in soiled bandages. Corpses were piled into the wagons or...half of corpses, all of them covered in white sheets with blood beginning to seep through. 

Whispers begin to circulate among the crowd. "Everyone must have gotten eaten...another failure...waste of money..." Your eyes water up at the horrid picture and the citizens treatment of the Scouting Legion's sacrifices. 

"[Name]..." Mikasa begins but has no words to say to comfort you. It was always hard to see such a thing even if you had no relatives or friends in the Scouting Legion. Each life was a precious flame and the titans had blown them all out so easily, it was unfair. And the people within the Walls had the gall to discriminate against them for fighting for the future of humanity. It was all so cruel and disgusting.

Eren scrambles on top of a crate to be able to see above the adult's heads. He seems oblivious to the somber atmosphere until he sees the missing eyes, missing arms, missing legs, and the dejected spirit of the legion. "So few of them are returning...It's awful...There were over one-hundred of them when they departed...they aren't even twenty..." Eren's face falls as he sees and hears what's going on around him. You grasp on to his hand and press against his side in need of support. You were a sensitive little thing for all your gumption when it came to romping about.

"Excuse me...b-but my son. I can't see my son." A woman has forced the procession to a halt as she kneels down in front of the commander. Her eyes are open as wide as saucers and the look would be comical if it wasn't so heart wrenching. "What happened to him?" You can tell that she is afraid to ask the question but in desperate need of the answer. Her hands ball into fists as she clutches the bottom of the commander's green cloak.

"This is Moses's mother." The commander turns wearily to his officers. "Bring  _it_ here," He orders in a soft voice barely above a whisper. A girl with a ponytail gingerly brings a wrapped parcel to the commander who in turn lowers it down into the old woman's arms. 

"Huh?" She is confused as she stares down at the bundle. But slowly, agonizingly, she unwraps the gift he has given her. Her heavily lined face morphs into one of sadness and terror. She begins to shake violently. Inside the wrappings was a dismembered arm, the only thing left of her son.

"That was all we were able to recover." The commander doesn't even look at her, he cannot bring himself to do so.

Tears spread down her cheeks in two thick lines. "My son. My son has been useful, hasn't he?" The soldiers are shocked by her sudden question. It comes amid the labored wails of her sobbing. "It doesn't have to be anything outstanding! Just tell me please! Tell me his death contributed towards mankind's retaliation! Please tell me he didn't die for _nothing_!"

"Of course--" The commander looks at a loss for words. His mouth gapes open and shut a couple of times before he is able to compose himself and speak. "No." He finally says. "The exploration...this time again we-- **it was all for nothing! We didn't make any progress at all!** " He shouts ferociously. Everyone gasps in surprise at his outburst. " **I've been nothing but incompetent! Doing nothing but toying around with our soldier's lives! We couldn't find out where they come from! We didn't discover _anything_!** " To hear even the commander of the Scouting Legion admit such a thing was nothing short of disheartening. 

"This is horrible...to think they could have lived perfectly fine inside the walls...our tax money would be spent better then on those soldiers...what a waste..." There were those whispers again. Circulating all around. "So true, as it is our taxes basically serve to fattening  _them_ up. We're sending them free meals." Said the man in front of Eren. Without a second thought Eren pulls away from you to grasp a pebble and fling it at the back of the man's head. He hits his target square and receives a satisfying "Agh!" in response. The man ducks and clutches his head in pain.

"Why you Goddamn kid!" The burly adult turns around to send Eren a fiery scowl. Eren would have begun a brawl with the man regardless of age or size but Mikasa grabs him by his collar and begins to run away. You race after the two, glancing over your shoulder to see the man giving chase...although he is too fat to catch up.

Mikasa throws Eren down an empty ally where he crashes into a brick wall. The bundle falls from his back and firewood clatters across the cobblestone. "What's the big idea? The firewood is all scattered now!" Eren rubs at his sore head. Mikasa looks down on him with a baleful air. It was easy to see she was upset with his behavior. 

"You're still planning on entering the Scouting Legion. You haven't changed your mind have you?" It wasn't really a question, Mikasa knew full well Eren was too pigheaded for his own good. He wouldn't change his mind for anything. Not even after what he just saw. It was an unspoken understanding that what had transpired was harrowing but that it wouldn't deter him at all. That was just him. Dead set on what he wanted.

"Just help me pick these up..." He grumbles.

* * *

 

 

A cup of tea sits cold and untouched before you. The kind woman that owned the tavern had fixed it after seeing you come home with tears in your eyes. But you didn't have the stomach for even a soothing hot drink. Seeing the Scouting Legion return had ruined any appetite you might have had. 

Lee and Dan were off at work and so no one was there to comfort you. They got up at the crack of dawn most days and came back late into the evenings. So you were often left to your own devices.

It isn't until the sound of yelling from outside rouses your attention that you even move. The sound was faint but you recognized the voice of Armin yelling. You run out mechanically and follow the noise down the narrow street. 

Armin is being held against a stone building by a dirty looking boy. Three bullies surround him with scowls on their pinched faces. They appear to be a couple of years older than Armin. It sickened you how they picked on him because he was younger and smaller than them. 

"Hey! Stop it!" You shout in the meanest voice you can. But apparently you don't sound very menacing because they pay you no attention. You grab the arm of the boy holding Armin and tug at it in vain. They were a lot bigger than you, most everyone was, the tavern-lady said it was because you were underfed but no matter how much you ate you just didn't grow the same way everyone else did. 

"[Name]!" Armin is startled by your presence. "What are doing here? You should--agh!" He is cut off by a slap. The other two boys egging their friend on drag you away. You kick and scream by their iron grips are latched tight on your arms. 

"I hate you! I hate you!" You tell them to their faces, spitting at their feet. 

"Stay out it runt." The one to your left seethes. Armin's scared blue eyes flicker between you and the small gang. He always tried to figure out how to get out of such situations. A good start would probably be trying not to provoke their interest anymore. Usually he was assaulted because his beliefs about venturing outside of the Walls, and yet he still refused to stop preaching about the outside world. 

"STOP!" Eren comes charging full speed towards the bullies. His intense expression was pure rage but the offenders only laughed off his heroics. That was...until they saw Mikasa behind him. Her charcoal orbs nearly glinting with malicious intent. The boys on the street all knew Eren wasn't a good brawler...but Mikasa. She was a force not be reckoned with. 

"It's Mikasa! S-screw this," They ran off like the cowards they really were, leaving Armin to fall to the ground in a heap. 

"[Name] are you alright?" He asks while wiping off the dirt from his blue sweater. 

"Of course I'm alright." You answer, "The question is are  _you_ alright?" 

Eren offers Armin a hand up but the blond refuses his help despite his obvious discomfort. You couldn't understand why people had to be so mean. Just because Armin was different, just because they saw him as an easy target they thought it was okay to be jerks. It was pathetic on their part to be so low. It put a bad taste in your mouth. 

"What made them want to hit you in the first place?" Eren asks his friend. 

Armin bites his lip. "I told them that humanity would need to go outside someday. And they called me a heretic and began to hit me." He admits. You had always known the boy to be intelligent with a natural curiosity. Like you he was a little on the sensitive side and was prey to anyone who thought beating down on others was a pleasant past time. He didn't have a violent bone in his body and never fought back against those who demoralized him. 

"You need to be careful about what you say Armin. One of these days I'm afraid someone might take it too far." You state tiredly. You shared Armin and Eren's opinion that the outside world was mankind's by right. The people inside the Walls should fight to take it back and rid the world of titans for once and for all. Sadly, not very many people believed this. In fact, most people hated the idea to the point of ostracizing and shunning anyone who thought differently. It was because of this that you didn't openly share your views with others. Keeping your thirst for freedom locked away. 

"For one-hundred years we've been inside these walls. Life has always been peaceful." Armin says wistfully. You had somehow found yourselves at the waterside. The canal was used for transporting goods between the districts and for those who could afford it as a transportation method. The setting sun reflects prettily across the shining surface. "People are afraid that by going outside it will invite  _them_ in. The government has gone so far has to explain that any interest in the outside world is a taboo." Armin was beginning to fall into one of his lulls where his thoughts turn deep and complex. He often would try to think of different theories as to where the titans came from or why they eat humans.

"The King is just a chicken, end of story." Eren snorts. He had no respect for authority figures but it was no small wonder. A lot of the kids in Shiganshina didn't like the government. While their families were barely scraping by and food was a precious resource the fat cats inside Wall Sina were feasting, throwing parties, and doing absolutely nothing besides being rich. "It's our lives to risk and it's our business." 

Mikasa plainly disagreed with him. "I don't think so, just forget about it Eren." She intones.

"And what exactly made you tell our parents about that anyway?" Eren suddenly turns sour and faces Mikasa with a tense expression. The exchange left Armin and yourself confused. 

"I never said I'd cooperate." She replies coldly. 

"Cooperate with what?" You ask, feeling left out.

"She told mom and dad that I wanted to join the Scouting Legion." Eren pouts.

"How did that go?" Armin asks, already cringing as he imagines the response Mrs. Yeager must have had. 

"It wasn't exactly applause and congratulations." Eren's voice is bitter as he remembers his mother's outburst. 

"...I can imagine." 

"Are you gonna' join them and tell me to stop?" Eren turns defensive as her whirls on Armin. 

"Well it's dangerous but...I see where you're coming from." Armin wraps his arms around his legs and curls into himself. He usually did that whenever he began to feel insecure. "I'm curious about the people who believe staying within the Walls will protect us forever. There's no guarantee that the Wall won't break." His words hung in the air ominously. 

You stare into the orange and red tinted skyline. "Someday, I wish I could see the horizon and watch the sun set beneath it. Like, not have to watch it disappear behind the Wall. But actually watch as it dips behind some trees or something." That would be nice. Looking around for miles and not having to see the dour Walls surrounding you. It was hard to imagine a day were such a stalwart thing as the Wall might fall. But Armin was right  _there is no guarantee it won't fall_. 

 

 


	2. The Fall of Shiganshina

A yellow spark of lightening dashes across the sky and strikes the ground with tremendous force. The earth shook violently, tipping you over. Thunder rumbled through Shiganshina. At first you thought it was a storm. But from your position you saw there was little to no clouds in the sky. Something wasn't right.

Shop owners, pedestrians, and curious children filled the streets. You felt the ground vibrate gently. As if someone had taken a giant footstep. Or maybe a giant had taken a step. 

Two men pointed down the road at something hidden behind a two story building. You got up and rounded the corner, followed closely by your friends.

It was a hand. A giant hand without skin curling around the top of the wall. Steam rose from behind the thick fingers. Parts of the wall cracked and crumbled away as it clutched the wall tight, falling to the ground in a cloud of dirt.

Your heart skips a beat.

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa stood behind you; frozen in identical horror. "N-no way...that wall is fifty-meters high!" Armin exclaims. 

Slowly a head begins to rise above the wall, matching the ghastly hand in all its skinless splendor. The muscle tissue glinted bright red and pink, contrasting with the milky white tendons and bone showing here and there. It's pearly chompers visible.

But the worst part was easily the eyes. Intelligent, cruel; glaring down at the mere ants below.

"A Titan!" Someone in the growing crowd screamed.

The wall exploded in on itself as the Titan's foot smashed through the gate. Rubble crushing houses and bodies alike. Blood covered the streets in no time.

Everyone except Eren had the sense to speed away. He moved towards the gate slowly at first, as if in a haze, but then broke into a run. Even though Titans had already passed the threshold he continued towards them. "My house is in that direction!" 

You remember that tavern you live in and possibly your brothers were also closer to the now ruined gate. 

"_____! EREN! MIKASA!" Armin yelled after you with tears brimming his large eyes. His shaggy hair wild about his terrified face. He was ignored as the three of you stumbled through the frenzied mob.

Screams. Fire. Smoke. Blood. Crimson, salty, warm, thick, blood...everywhere. It covered everything.

You gasped, nearly toppling over as you came to a halt in front of what used to be the Yeager's home.

"MOM!" Eren screams.

She lay underneath the ruin of roof tiles and beams. She look up in shock and horror, "Eren!" She was only able to move one arm and look about helplessly. Where was Mr. Yeager?

You couldn't contain the uneven breaths you took or the hot tears boiling down your sweaty cheeks.

This isn't real. This isn't real. I'll wake up soon. It'll all just be a bad dream...

"Lee! Dan!" You scream at the top of your lungs. You forsake your two best friends in search of your own family. The tavern is still standing a ways down the street, but no one answers you.

"LEE! DAN!"

You coughed as smoke invaded your senses. What was left of many houses had somehow become engulfed in flames. The streets were now a festering mess of blood, fire, and screams. "LEE! DAN!" You called out for your two older brothers, searching every alley in vain. The resounding footsteps of the Titans surrounded the district. If you didn't find your brothers soon... you stopped in the middle of street. Your eyes burned from the smoke and tears and the sweat that dripped from your forehead. You grasped unto the front of your sweater as pathetic, choking sobs came from your shaking body.

Titans had already appeared around you. Their faces were like plastic masks, forever smiling terribly. Their white teeth glittered in the fading light and fires danced in their giant, empty eyes.

"_____!" Someone screams. "_____!" You are scooped up into the arms of Dan. He was the second-eldest at thirteen years of age. The flames dance across his body and make his face rapidly change as shadows rippled over him. "DAN!" You exclaim, wrapping your skinny arms around his neck. 

Dan's tangled, dark-red hair stuck to his forehead and neck with perspiration. His almond eyes of dark-honey-brown are filled with horror and despair. The usual smile is not present on his chapped lips and instead he flashes a grimace. His angular features were sprinkled in light freckles that looked like stars on the backdrop of his dark skin. Although slender in build he is still able to pick up your small frame and carry you while running. His wiry muscles are tense as he holds you close to his pounding chest. He dashes away from the Titans as fast as he can, huffing and puffing with effort.

Dan is headed towards the boats that frantic Garrison Regiment soldiers have readied for evacuation. The closer he gets to the canal the denser the crowds of people become. Shouting and crying is all you can hear as other humans surround you. All of their faces are twisted scowls and cringing facades. None of them look familiar, at least not now. Panic, rage, pain, and fear change people. 

You wonder where Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are. Did Mrs. Yeager get out from beneath the wreckage safely? And where is Lee? 

"We have to get the boats going! There isn't enough room for anymore!" You heard one tall soldier yell. His voice was empty but his eyes were blaring his terror. Cries of dissent waved through the crowd as children shook and mothers cried. Dan pushed and struggled his way through the crowd. "Please, please at least let my sister on! She isn't very big. She could sit on someone's lap or--" A soldier roughly pushed him back from the waterside. "There isn't enough room! Did you not hear boy?" 

You look behind you at the loud citizens. You would all be left behind?

The once patient mass waiting to get on the boats turned into a roaring sea of violence. Each person kicked, shoved, trampled, and galloped their way to the front. And for what? A good view of the boats gradually getting farther away?

"No, let them on." Came a stern voice from behind you. The familiar shock of pale blond hair was the first thing you recognized on Hannes. He stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the rough soldier that stood before Dan. "You can't let two innocent children on? There will be plenty of room for such small bodies. Let them on and give the signal." 

His face was made of stone as he nodded briskly to the two of you. Dan walked up the plank of the last boat with tears of gratitude in his eyes. 

A man tried to jump unto one of the boats as soon as the order to take off was given. He was able to grab on to the railing, but slipped and fell into the water below. Another man tried the same trick as well, all in vain, he made a depressing splash into the shifting water.

The second gate began to close. Cannons fire rapidly. Soldiers begin to run away from the gate. 

Boom! Boom! Bum! Boom! Bum!

Your eyes widen as the sound of heavy, running footsteps get closer and closer. More cannons fired. The boat shuddered as it began to pull through the canal.

The gate exploded in yet another shower of dust and bodies. 

How cruel the stars were to continue blinking indifferently to the chaos below. Safe in the heavens. You hug Dan tightly as you watch from the boat that didn't seem to be moving fast enough.

There was a Titan standing a midst the remains of soldiers, people, houses, and shops. Its bulky body was covered in what seemed to be some sort of plate armor. The thick defensive tissue akin to bone. Its hair stood thick and white, dancing in the wind. You hated how the Titans resembled humans, as if to mock its prey. It stood still. Almost as if it had accomplished its only goal. Watching as pitiful creatures at its feet wailed and ran away. Its shadowed eyes empty and terrible...terrible...terrible eyes.

You see Eren and Mikasa a little ways away from you. And Armin at the opposite end of the boat with his grandfather. But you do not recognize anyone to be Mr. or Mrs Yeager. Or your brother Lee.

You numbly make your way over to your two best friends, seeing as the traumatized Eren might need someone to cry to. You want to comfort him despite your own throbbing pain. He is shaking and staring into nothing with unblinking eyes.

When Eren sees you a shudder runs through his body and his bottom lip quivers. Wordlessly you open your arms and step closer to him. You had always been the one Eren and Armin ran to when they felt upset. You had a gentle and calming nature that made you like the mother of the group. While Mikasa was the protector, always looking out for everyone else's safety. This was no exception and Eren falls into the embrace. His hands curl around your sweater, clutching it in fists. He had been stripped of all his defenses and lost mother. That much was obvious. You had (possibly) lost your brother as well. Fresh tears slide down your cheeks at the thought of Lee and where he might be right now. Perhaps he had already boarded one of the other boats and you would see him once you all got to safety.

Eren's tears soiled the front of your dress, but you didn't care, you had already been speckled with blood and dirt through the ordeal. His brows were furrowed as he looks up at you and stares into your eyes. But it doesn't seem as if he is actually looking at you. More like he is glaring through you and into the face of his enemy. 

"I'm going to... drive them all out!" He hisses, "Every last one of them from this world!" The passion in his voice is tainted with hatred. 

Armin has also slowly approached you and you snag him into a side hug; not letting either Armin or Eren out of your grip. "I'm just glad you're all okay!" You practically yell at them through agonized and thankful tears. You let your hands fall to your side as you also approach Mikasa and give her a semi-awkward hug. You had never wrapped your arms around her before, but if it wasn't the time to do so now, it would never be. She seems surprised at your forwardness. You had never been as close to her as you were to the boys. She pats your back, unsure of exactly how to respond. 

You pull away from all of them and wipe your tears away, smudging dirt and sweat across your face. "I'm just glad we're all safe," for now. Your thoughts echoed.

You remember the blue-wildflowers you had collected in the field earlier today, before the chaos. The stem and petals are wilted slightly and loosing their bright color already. You look at them in your hand. They were all you had left of your childhood. The dying flowers and the bloodied mess of clothes where all that remained to you. The singular picture of your fair mother had probably been burned or crushed in the pandemonium. The silver locket of her's that Lee wore was as lost as he was. The faded books you had read over and over were also part of the trifles left behind. You would keep these dead blooms forever. A symbol of what you had lost.


End file.
